


Who Knew

by rohanswhitelady



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, Inuyasha - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:15:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25904932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rohanswhitelady/pseuds/rohanswhitelady
Summary: When the love of your life moves away, leaving you behind how do you move on? Kagome hasn't been sure of herself for a while, but she's just starting to get that spark back. Until Inuyasha comes back into her life thirteen years later. He wants to rekindle their romance but can Kagome handle the potential for a second heartbreak? Will she take the chance or let it slip through her fingers?Modern AU. Rated M.
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/InuYasha, Inu no Taishou/Izayoi, Miroku/Sango (InuYasha)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter One

_ Inuyasha’s House _

_ 2007 _

Inuyasha looked back at the room he had lived in for eighteen years. The walls were bare and his things were already collected in boxes. It looked bigger than he was used to. The movers were busy loading his bed and other furniture into the moving truck, and Inuyasha knew eventually he would have to leave. 

_ Not yet,  _ he thought.  _ Kagome said she’d make it. She’ll come.  _

The idea of saying good-bye to Kagome was already tying his stomach in knots. He hated the idea, but they could still communicate through emails and the phone. He clenched the small flip phone in his hand. He had bought it for her so they’d always be in touch. He knew her mother probably couldn’t afford it, so he had asked his father to purchase the device. He didn’t argue, even offered to bring Kagome along after she had graduated, but Inuyasha was doubtful if Kagome would even want to go. She had her sights set on some art school in Tokyo. She was an artist, always painting  _ something _ , her room was filled with gorgeous landscapes from their school field trips and their graduation gift from his parents. Hokkaido. He felt a tug of pain in his chest as he remembered their last night together. It had been special and he wanted to burn it into his memory forever. 

“Inuyasha!” His mother called out to him from the bottom of the stairs. “We have to get going, sweetheart. Come down.” 

HIs clenched fist gripped the small phone tighter, the plastic creaking from the pressure. Dammit, she still wasn’t here yet. 

He eyed his two suitcases filled to the brim with clothes and other necessities. He shoved the phone in his pants pocket and grabbed the handles of the suitcases. They were heavy, but he carried them easily as he trudged downstairs and said his last goodbyes to his childhood home. He wouldn’t return for many years. The soft brown wooden walls seemed to wave him goodbye as he strode through the hallways, echoing his sentiments back to him. 

He finally made it through the large mansion and out to the first garage when he noticed it was pouring rain outside. He wasn’t sure how he missed the sound of the droplets beating against the roof of the house, but now it reverberated through the ceiling. 

“Quick, Inuyasha!” His mother shouted to him from the entrance of the garage, holding a magazine over her head before running to the car and hopping into the passenger side. He supposed his father was already in the vehicle. He huffed to himself, hating getting wet for any reason other than to shower, before he ran toward the car, his two suitcases in tow. The trunk was already propped open for him and he quickly shoved them inside and slammed it shut. A figure appeared beside him suddenly, startling him. Once his vision adjusted around the wall of water slamming down around them he realized who it was. 

Kagome. 

Kagome Higurashi was standing outside while rain poured down around her. She was soaked to the bone, but she didn't care. The young boy in front of her looked at her with such desperation, she couldn't pay attention to anything else. His golden eyes were framed by white bangs, rain dripping from the tips. He held out a hand to her and all she could do was stare at it. It was as if the hand itself was an insect. The hand that she had found comfort in not a day ago, was now offering her pain instead.

"Kagome." He said, his voice shaky as he refused to drop his hand. “You made it. I wasn’t sure if you would.” 

She glanced up at him, finally looking at his face. It was all screwed up. His brows were scrunched together. His mouth was twisted in a pained grimace. 

"Come with me." 

The phrase had already been repeated twice yesterday, as they lay in each other’s arms. She still flinched when he said it again. As she looked back down at his outstretched hand, she knew her answer. 

"I can't." She backed away from him, shaking her head. 

He dropped his hand. His grimace turned into a wobbling chin and bitten lip as he visibly fought against allowing anguished cries to escape. 

"Kagome," he tried again, "Please." 

She shook her head once more. "I can't, Inuyasha. I'm needed here." Her mom, her siblings, and her grandfather all needed her. Her best friend in the whole world needed her. She couldn't. Even as she found herself wishing she could.

"They'll be taken care of. My father will make sure of it."

"We can't rely on your father's money all the time, Inuyasha. We're not charity." 

His hands bunched into fists. "You can bring them with you then!" He promised, though she heard a hint of hesitation. "We'll help you get another house, or something." He stepped toward her. "We can make it work, Kagome. Just please. Say yes." 

"Inuyasha…" 

He moved forward again, grasping her hands in his. "Then I'll come see you. I'll call and write to you whenever I can."

She hesitated. It was tempting. To allow their relationship to continue through email and phone calls. Just to hear his voice and maintain a presence in his life while he was away. It was so, so tempting.

She took a step back, though she didn’t pull away from his grip on her hands. “I don’t know, Inuyasha. Long distance relationships rarely work out.” 

“But we’ll make it work!” He stepped forward again. “We can make it work, I know we can. Here.” He reached inside his pocket and brought out the flip phone. “My number’s already programmed into it. It’s yours.” He grabbed her hand before she could protest and made sure it was securely in her hand before he let go. 

She gripped his hands harder, knowing it was her turn to plead with him. “Think about your life, Inuyasha. You’ll be going to college, meeting new people in a new city, a new country even! You shouldn’t be dragged down by your high school sweetheart. You’ll have so much to offer these people you’ll meet. You can’t cling to the past.” 

“What if I don’t care?” He said, his tone turning hard. “What if I didn’t care about meeting new people if it means I have to give you up? I love you, Kagome. I can’t just give up on us. I won’t.” 

She felt the same way, but she couldn’t do that to him. She couldn’t make him wait for her. Who knew when they could actually see each other? Who knew when they could actually get their life together started while she was stuck in this small town. 

“You have to.” She said, pulling away from him, feeling her heart break when his face fell. “Because I am.”

A horn honking in the distance brought her back to reality. He was really leaving. He waved angrily at the car behind them. “I’m comin’! Just give me a second!” He turned back to her, face searching hers. 

“Go, Inuyasha.” She reached up to touch his face once more, committing it to memory. “Live your life. Promise me.” 

He clasped her hand in his against his face, eyes closed as he nuzzled her hand. His eyes snapped open as another horn blew, tears filling them fast. 

“I love you, Kagome. I’ll always love you.” 

A lump formed in her throat as he dropped his hand. This was her last chance. Quickly, she pulled him toward her by his t-shirt and their lips connected harshly. She kissed him with every ounce of strength she had, hoping he would understand why she was doing this. Why she was letting him go. 

He pulled away first, kissing her hand once before staring her down. “Goodbye, Kagome.” 

Tears fell hard and fast as she was unable to stop them any longer. He ran toward the car, looking back at her for a moment before climbing in the backseat. The car started driving off, and Kagome found herself wanting to run after it. She fought against the urge as it stopped at the end of the road and turned left and out of sight. 

She let out a choked sob as she fell to the ground, unable to keep herself upright. She had just let the love of her life leave. It was for his own good, but it still threatened to engulf her heart in a black abyss. The phone he had given her was enclosed in her fist loosely, threatening to fall to the wet ground too. 

“Goodbye.”

  
  


_ Kagome’s Apartment  _

_ 2020 _

“I know, Sango, but it just wasn’t working.” Kagome entered her apartment, balancing her smartphone against her shoulder and ear with grocery bags in both hands. Once she was fully inside she swung the door closed with her foot before setting them down on the counter beside her sink.

“How could you even tell?” Sango exclaimed over the phone. “You only dated him for, what, a month?” 

“Three. And I honestly should have dumped him sooner.” She threw her keys on the hook next to the door and held the phone in her hand, rolling her shoulder to get the kink out. She walked over to her loveseat and flopped down, grabbing the remote and flipping through channels without actually seeing what was on. 

“He couldn’t have been that boring, Kagome.”

Kagome snorted in response. “He never used tongue when we kissed. Sex was out of the question before marriage. He never drank. He never smoked. We had to have a set schedule if we were to ever meet. Sango, the boy obeyed every traffic law known to man. He was boring.” 

“... I get your point. But still, you can’t just throw in the towel over one guy.” 

“Amari was not just one guy. I’ve dated plenty of men before that.” 

“And dumped each of them for stupid reasons.”

“Oh, really? Pray tell what my stupid reasons were?”

“Hojo - his mother was too much and he got a job in the  _ next city over _ and you decided to end it because ‘ _ long distance relationships never work’ _ . Haruto - he ate his soup with a fork  _ one time.  _ Takumi - his hair was too long and he wore white too much. Hatori - too stiff when you had sex and smoked weed too much. Koga - you thought he had feelings for someone else.” 

“Koga did! He was in love with-” 

“Okay, okay, you were right, but you didn’t have to dump him! He loved you, almost more than Hojo did and you still just tossed him away! I won’t even get into the others. C’mon, don’t you see a pattern here?” 

Kagome sighed heavily, setting the remote down. She knew her friend had a point, although that soup and smoking incident were absolutely good reasons to dump someone. She just never found someone she wanted to be with for the rest of her life and she doubted she ever would. She was perfectly happy job hunting and going to the bar every weekend. She had no problem with one-night stands, in fact, she preferred them. No messy, awkward goodbyes in the morning and asking if they could call her. Truth be told, Kagome didn’t want the happy ending anymore. She was perfectly content by herself. 

“Kagome?” 

The concerned tone jolted her out of her thoughts. “Yeah, I’m still here.” She said, re-adjusting her position on the couch and flipping it to HBO. She might as well be disappointed by Game of Thrones again, not much else was on. “I get that you mean well, Sango, but I’m really okay as I am. I don’t need a happily married life. I’m beyond that now.”

“You only started saying that because of Inu-”

“ _ Don’t.”  _ Her voice cut through the air like a knife. Her body tensed as she realized what name her friend was about to say and it ripped through her painfully. “Don’t say his name. This has nothing to do with him. It was a long time ago.”

There was a pause before she heard a quiet, “Okay.” 

There was a sudden beeping noise telling Kagome she had another call and she took the chance to hang up gratefully, “I gotta go, Sango, someone’s calling me. I’ll talk to you later.” 

She hung up without an answer and switched to the other call. 

“Kagome speaking.” She greeted, not knowing who was on the other line. She supposed it could be Amari, but she wasn’t sure if she ever gave him her number. 

“Kagome Higurashi?” The other voice belonged to a woman, her voice was smooth and controlled, and she sounded bored. 

“Yes. May I ask who’s speaking?” 

“My name is Kagura, I work with a company interested in hiring you. If this is a bad time, I can call back tomorrow.”

Kagome instantly sat upright, nearly jumping off her loveseat. “No, no! This is fine. Which company?” Curiosity got the best of her, she supposed the woman was getting to it but the question escaped her before she could stop it. 

There was a moment’s hesitation before she said, “Takahashi Corporation.” 

A beat passed between them and Kagome’s mouth was still hanging open. That name is pretty popular in Japan, so she could mean anyone, she reasoned with herself.  _ How many Takahashi’s do you know that own their own huge company?  _ She gulped, unable to really speak for a moment. 

“My employer has given me permission to discuss the salary for the position you will be filling. If you’d like to hear it before rejecting the offer.” 

“Sure.” Her voice was shaky, she winced at how pathetic it sounded.

“Forty Million Yen.” 

Kagome’s breath felt like it was stolen as she tried to absorb what she had said as Kagura went on. 

“You will also receive bonuses every other month and plenty of vacation and personal time. Your apartment is within driving distance and if you do not have a vehicle to transport you, we can have a driver come pick you up.”

“Wait, wait, wait. I haven’t even interviewed yet. You’re acting like this is a done deal.” 

“Mr. Takahashi says that won’t be necessary, he knows your credentials and is prepared to take advantage of them at the nearest opportunity. Unless, that is, you reject his request.” 

They weren’t even going to interview her, and they were offering this much money? Kagome couldn’t make heads or tails of what was happening, everything was coming at her so fast. She felt dizzy and laid back in her seat, sinking into the cushions as the tv show she had on echoed through her apartment.

“What is your answer, Ms. Higurashi?” 

She sighed, knowing what she was about to say was stupid, but she knew she had to do it nonetheless. “I’ll accept an interview.” 

“Mr. Takahashi has already said -” 

“I know what he’s said, and I’m not a charity service. I will accept an interview, and then, if at that point he chooses to hire me, then so be it.”

Kagura made a strangled noise with her throat before saying, “Very well. Will tomorrow work for you? 8 o’clock?”

“Tomorrow’s perfect.”

“We will see you then, Ms. Higurashi. Do you have a pen and paper for the address?” 

Kagome hurriedly grabbed some and wrote it down as Kagura rushed through the address. It was a long one, but Kagura was right. It was close by. She could drive there herself. 

“Thank you for your time, Kagura. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She hung up the phone and forcibly flumped over the couch, laying across it lazily. Her phone rang again, and she just hit ignore as it wasn’t either of the two women she had spoken to before. They could leave a message if they really needed her. 

Her main concern was if it really was He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named that wanted to hire her, would she accept the position tomorrow? It was a lot of money to throw her way, and she wasn’t entirely sure she was experienced enough to have earned it. On the other hand, she really needed it. Her grandpa was getting sicker every day and while her mother was doing a good job of taking care of him, but she was also working several jobs and she was just sending her younger brother, Souta, off to college while Shippo was nearly done with high school at this point. 

Kagome herself wouldn’t mind the extra cash either. She could get a new laptop, the old one laying on her desk teasing her with ideas of a shiny new macbook. Her phone could do with an upgrade too. Her 6s was barely trudging along.  _ It didn’t last as long as that flip phone did.  _ The memory of the old device stabbed at her so she shook it away. 

Either way, tomorrow was going to be interesting. 

  
  



	2. Chapter Two

Kagome woke early, her nerves getting the better of her. The sun’s rays slipping through her light-blue curtains (if they could even be called that). She had tossed and turned all night, not able to get a full night’s sleep despite herself. 

She still couldn’t quite believe what happened last night. If her future employer was indeed Inuyasha, how was she going to handle herself? It had been thirteen years; he was probably an entirely different person. He had sworn to all of their friends and herself that he wouldn’t end up like his father and brother, in a life swamped by meetings and business trips. He had sworn he would become a star basketball player. He was born to be on the court. Now he had his own division in the family business? She had a hard time wrapping her mind around it. 

She would just treat him like any other employer. He was her boss, and that was it. There was no need to get herself all torn up over their previous lives. She could handle seeing her ex from high school. 

Finally, she groggily rolled out of bed, shutting off her alarm. She showered and dressed quickly, realizing she wasn’t about to calm down anytime soon, regardless of her logical reasoning to do so. 

She put her hair in a high bun, getting it out of her face, and put on what little makeup she owned. She was already getting fine lines around her eyes from the stress of adulthood. She made sure to put on extra concealer in that area. 

She passed the rest of the time with coffee and just sitting on her love-seat, thinking about the coming hours. She could do this. She was Kagome Higurashi. She could do just about anything. 

She was startled out of her thoughts by a car horn beeping outside her apartment. 

“What the hell?” She said as the horn beeped again, this time with more urgency. 

She poked a head out of her window leading onto the street and saw a limousine parked by her apartment. The driver’s side door opened, revealing a short, raccoon demon hopping out. She didn’t recognize them but when he looked up at her window, his big eyes grew wider as he shouted, “Miss Higurashi! I am here to take you to Takahashi Corporation!” 

She blinked once, surprised that the little demon knew her name, but she supposed she might have to start getting used to random people knowing her name. 

“I told Kagura I could drive myself!” She shouted down to him. 

“Oh,” He looked around nervously. “Mr. Takahashi insisted on it! We’d best be on our way!” Before she could get another word in, he hopped back in the driver’s seat and out of sight. 

Kagome sighed heavily and shut her window a little too harshly, causing her to wince. She quickly snatched her purse from the kitchen counter and rushed outside, checking her makeup in her small, compact mirror. “Nobody ever listens to me when I say I can handle it.” She muttered to herself. She begrudgingly opened the car door and climbed into the backseat. She noticed how comfortable these seats were compared to her tiny car, and she found she was even more annoyed at the idea that she might prefer this every day. 

The little demon pulled out from the curb and into traffic smoothly, looking back at her through the rear-view mirror. “There are some drinks back there, if you’re thirsty. Some music too, you can control it through the buttons on the roof.”

She looked up to see what had to be a Bluetooth screen with corresponding buttons for playing either movies or music. She pressed play and was met with hip-hop blaring through the speakers and quickly turned it off.  _ At least I know he’s definitely the same guy.  _

“You can call me Hachi, by the way.” The demon called back to her. “I’ll be your driver for whatever you need. Mr. Takahashi wants to make sure you’re completely taken care of.” 

Kagome huffed at the idea that she would need to be coddled. “Well, you can tell  _ Mr. Takahashi  _ that I am perfectly capable of driving myself to work. It’s not that far, and I really don’t mind.” 

“Oh, well,” He glanced back at her, a nervous air surrounding him again, “You’ll have to take that up with him. He was very clear with his instructions to me to make sure you’re brought to work and brought back home every day.”

“Don’t worry, I will.” She replied shortly, crossing her arms across her chest. She glanced down at the small cooler that was laying open in front of her. It had some glasses and bottles filled with what she assumed were the drinks Hachi had mentioned earlier. “Hey, what’s in these?” 

“Orange juice, coffee, water, and, uh,” He hesitated for a moment before saying, “spiked cranberry juice.” 

She raised a brow at that. “He drinks vodka cranberries?” 

“Only on really bad days.” 

She took another look at the cooler. “Huh.”  _ That  _ she didn’t know. She filed that away for later and grabbed a glass of orange juice, being careful not to spill any on what smelled like a new carpet. “How close are we now?”

“We’re almost there. Another couple blocks.” She watched as his eyes darted between her and the road. He clearly had something else to say.

“What is it, Hachi?” She asked. 

“Nothing, Miss Higurashi.” He averted his gaze quickly. 

She let him avoid her question, choosing to finish her drink instead. She looked around and found what was almost a sink further up beyond the cooler and set her glass in there. 

The rest of the trip was made in silence. Kagome didn’t quite dare turn the music back on, and it was nice to be able to sit and relax for a little while. 

She noticed the buildings around them getting bigger and bigger until she was confronted with a giant, three tower building that she swore the tops of which reached the clouds. The outside of the three towers was covered in one-way mirrors and reflected the sun back at her, causing her to shield her eyes. She saw sky balconies connecting the three and each tower had an underground entryway. When Hachi pulled into an underground parking garage beneath the right tower, her nerves came crashing back. 

“Here it is, Miss Higurashi.” 

He parked beside the lobby building and waited for her to exit the vehicle. When she did, he slowly pulled away, leaving her feeling incredibly exposed against the glass doors. She noticed a tall woman typing away at a desk painted a pale gray near the front. Behind her a spiral staircase going up to the next level looked like it was made from green marble with glass banisters beside it. Everything looked brand new. 

She clasped the steel handle on the door, having to push it a little harder than she thought against it, and walked inside. She was instantly greeted with the sounds of chatter echoing through the lobby, several workers passed her by, each of them staring at her. She looked down at her attire, feeling under dressed as each person passed by in pristine, wrinkless trousers and blouses, their ears and necks adorned with flashy jewelry. 

“May I help you?” The voice belonged to the woman at the desk who was looking at her expectantly. Kagome could see she was now wearing large, red earrings and her hair done up with hair sticks with a feather dangling from it, framing her face. The woman’s narrowed red eyes and the way she held herself with pride told Kagome she was a demoness. 

“Yes. My name is Kagome Higurashi and I have an interview this morning with Mr. Takahashi.” 

The demoness looked her up and down and a cruel smirk crossed her red lips as she leaned across the desk. “So  _ you’re  _ Higurashi. Well, no accounting for taste, I suppose. Follow me.” 

“Excuse me?” Kagome replied, stepping back. She had just met this woman. Who was she to judge her already?

The woman ignored her and continued walking toward the staircase. Kagome held back a growl and followed her anyway up the stairs. As she climbed, Kagome noticed near the top of the first level there was a Starbucks with a long line of people waiting for their daily coffees.  _ At least I can get more coffee later,  _ she thought to herself. The demoness took a quick turn to the left, and down a long hallway. The walls, painted the same gray as her desk downstairs, were covered in art blocks in shocking colors of bright reds, blues, and purples. Each painting was abstract and in traditional style. A style she was familiar with, as she had painted quite a few like that herself. She couldn’t pay too much attention to the art blocks though, as the demoness was getting further and further away. She hurried her steps, keeping in mind the sound her heels were making against the marble floor. The woman had stopped at two wide double-doors at the end of the hall, already opening them before Kagome had caught up. 

Kagome watched as she walked in and heard her say something, but she wasn’t close enough to hear. Once she practically skidded inside the office, Kagome looked at the man behind the desk and her breath was stolen from her. 

Inuyasha. 

“Thank you, Kagura. You can go.” He said, not breaking eye contact from Kagome as he said it. 

Kagura left silently, shutting the door behind her and Kagome was at a loss for words.

He looked good. Better than good. He was gorgeous.  _ Not that he never wasn’t.  _ His long white hair was tied back in a ponytail, and flowed down his back. He was wearing a red button-down with the cuffs rolled up to his elbows, exposing tanned skin and pure muscle. A black belt held up dark gray trousers that hugged his hips and thighs deliciously. He stepped from behind his desk and held out a hand to her.

“Kagome.” He said, his golden eyes nearly making her melt. They held a hardness as they looked at her that she wasn’t used to, making her feel like he was examining every inch of her. 

She glanced down at his hand, remembering the last time he held a hand out to her. She slowly took it now, shaking his hand as firmly as she was capable of. 

“Inuyasha.” 

His small ears twitched on the top of his head as she said his name. She itched to rub her fingers over them as she used to. She wondered if they were still just as soft as they were then. 

He gestured to the leather bound chair in front of his desk. “Please, have a seat.” He said before walking back behind his desk and sitting down fluidly. 

_ I’m going to have to thank whoever tailored those pants for him.  _ She licked her lips before sitting in the chair, setting her purse down at her side. 

Just as she was about to hand over her resume, she realized she had forgotten it.  _ Well, that’s not a great start.  _ She hoped he wouldn’t ask her for it as she straightened her back and looked back up at him. 

His eyes were piercing as he seemed to drink her in before he said, “I hear you almost refused my offer.” 

She was ready for this. “If I’m going to get this job, I’m going to earn it. I refuse charity.” 

“I remember.” His eyes flashed for a moment of something akin to pain, but Kagome assumed she was imagining things. How could he still be in pain over something that happened thirteen years ago?

He sat back, flipping through some papers that lay on his desk. “I have your resume here.” His gaze snapped back up to hers. “You’ve had a lot of jobs in the past five years.” 

_ He must have found it online.  _ She had forgotten she’d posted it months ago in hopes someone would find her and offer her something. 

“I haven’t found my calling yet.”

He gave her a skeptical look.“And do you think it would be here, working for me?”

Kagome refused to show her emotions and replied, “It could be. I’d like to see for myself.” 

“I thought your art was your calling.” He put the papers back down on his desk.

She pulled back, surprised he referenced her previous work and not surprised at the same time. “Art doesn’t always sell.” 

“And if I told you I wanted to hire you as just my secretary, what would you say to that?”

“I’d say if you were to offer me the job based on my office experience then I will accept.” 

He narrowed his eyes. “That doesn’t sound like you.” 

“You haven’t known me for a long time. You don’t know what sounds like me.” 

“People don’t change that much over time. The core of who you are still exists.” 

“Maybe you don’t know people as well as you think.” She had no idea what had gotten into her. She knew she was basically challenging her boss, but he seemed to know the exact buttons to push to get her riled. She refused to let him have the upper hand. 

Inuyasha nodded slowly. “Perhaps you’re right.” He gestured to her lazily. “Perhaps I don’t know you as well as I used to.” He picked up her resume again. “Based on your experience on here, I could hire you on the spot. I trust Kagura told you the pay.”

“I think it’s a little extravagant, but yes.” 

“Of course you do.” He smirked at her knowingly. “I’m offering you the job, and I’m going to assume you’ll say yes.” 

“And what if I don’t.”

He raised a brow at her. “You’d be an idiot.” He stood and laughed at her shocked expression. “C’mon, Kagome, you may have changed a lot, but I haven’t.”    
Just as she was about to retort, the doors behind her burst open. A man ran through them, holding a large packet of paper. 

“Inuyasha, you’ll never guess what just came through.” 

Inuyasha’s face fell and Kagome turned to see who it was. The man saw her and his face blanched. “Kagome.” He said, backing up two steps. 

She clenched her jaw and squeezed the arm rests of her chair. “Miroku.”

He laughed nervously, looking from her to Inuyasha, who was seething behind her. “I totally forgot what time it was. Oh boy. I’m in trouble, aren’t I?” 

“Depends on how fast you get out of my office.” Inuyasha growled. 

“Right.” Miroku said, laughing again. He held up the papers in his hand as he backed up out of the office. “When you get a second, Inuyasha, I’ll need to see you. Later, though. It can be later. Or even tomorrow, if you want. But soon? It’s about that thing we were discussing earlier.” Miroku shot Kagome a worried look before looking back to Inuyasha.

“Alright. Now get out.” 

Miroku nodded and practically leapt out of the door and closed it behind him. 

Kagome sat back around and settled back in the chair, trying to decide on whether or not Miroku was the reason for them meeting in the first place. Who else would have told Inuyasha about her looking for work? There’s no way he just  _ happened _ across her resume online. It was anything but divine intervention. 

Inuyasha sighed as he sat back down, hands folded in front of him, looking tired. “I know what you must be thinking.”

“That you blackmailed  _ your  _ friend to ask _ my _ best friend for information about me?” 

He narrowed his eyes at her. “I didn’t blackmail him.” 

“Then he offered it willingly, which is worse.” She said, standing up. She was shaking, her hands balled into fists and was itching to get out of there. How stupid was she to have fallen for the professionalism act?

“He just mentioned that you were looking for a job, and hadn’t found any yet.” He stood up as well, looking like he was about to try to beat her to the door. “Where are you going? Were not done here.”

“Oh, I think we are.” She said, gathering her purse and looking him square in the eye. “I don’t know what possessed you to think I needed your help, Inuyasha, but I don’t. I’m doing perfectly well on my own.” She made to walk toward the door, but a hand on her wrist stopped her. She glanced up and found herself within arms reach of Inuyasha, his face contorted with worry and something else she couldn’t place. Desperation?

“I’m not doing this for charity. I’m actually doing this because I need your help, and I know you need mine.” He let go of her wrist. “Fifty-fifty. Give and take.” 

She crossed her arms and fixed him with a glare. “And how, precisely, do you need my help? What could you  _ possibly _ need from me?” 

“Your eye.” He said, stumping her. 

“My eye?” She asked skeptically, waiting for him to continue. 

“I need your eye for the arts.” He explained, an eagerness taking over him as he leaned toward her. 

He was too close, but Kagome couldn’t find it within herself to make him step back. She inhaled his familiar scent and found it still, after all these years, calmed her. 

“I know I said I was going to hire you as my secretary, and that’s mostly true, but what I really need is your talent.” He inhaled deeply before continuing. “I’m aiming to turn this company around. My father is going to step down as CEO soon and it will fall to either me or Sesshomaru. What I need is a renovation of this whole place.” He somehow took a step closer to her, his hand brushing against her forearm. “You’re the only person I could trust with this. You can help me build my brand and show the world a new Takahashi Corporation. I just… also need a new secretary.” He looked sheepish now. “Sesshomaru is taking mine and, honestly, good riddance. I can pay you for the design work once it’s done, but in the meantime I’ll give you her salary.” 

Kagome took a step back, really looking at him now. His eyes could never lie to her and she could see he was speaking with earnest. She saw his desperation, and his hope. It was the hope that got her. She could feel herself giving in ever so slightly.

“That’s a lot to take on.” She said.

“I know. Miroku and I will be with you every step of the way. You’ll have everything you need.”

“I’ll be helping you redesign what exactly?” 

“Everything. From top to bottom.”

“And I’ll also be your secretary?” 

“Yes?” He offered, wincing a little at that. 

“But my pay will be what Kagura mentioned over the phone?” 

“And you’ll have bonuses with every design you finish.” 

“Starting when?” 

“As soon as you can.”

Kagome took a deep breath, not quite believing what she was about to say, but said it nonetheless. She watched as Inuyasha’s eyes grew wide with hope and happiness. 

“Really? You will?” 

She held two fingers up at him, pointing at him with them. “On a trial basis at first. I need to know if I can do the job you hired me for, let alone the rest of it.”

Inuyasha let out a pleased yell and grabbed her in a hug and twirled her around before setting her back down. She instantly felt the absence of his body and willed herself to stop leaning into it. “Yes! I’ll make sure Kagura has her desk cleared by the end of the day and have your stuff there for tomorrow morning. This is going to be great, Kagome, you won’t regret it.” 

She doubted that, but the joy on his face wouldn’t allow her to linger on that thought for long. Still, she had something else to say that might dampen his mood. 

“There are some ground rules I want us to establish too.”

He instantly sobered. “Like what?” 

“Like you can’t do things like that anymore. We have to act like an employer and employee, no history, no nothing.”

He scrunched his eyebrows at that. “We do have history. We can’t just ignore that, Kagome.” 

“Yes, we can. Or I walk.” She said, staring him down. 

He examined her closely for a moment, almost as if he was searching for her reasoning. What he saw he didn’t like and he schooled his features. “If that’s what you really want.”

She nodded. “It is.” 

“Alright.” He crossed his arms. “You’re my employee then.”

“And you’re Mr. Takahashi.” 

He winced. “Everybody still calls me Inuyasha.”

“Not Hachi.”    
He snorted. “Hachi’s different. He doesn’t call anybody by their name.” 

“Still.” She hesitated for a moment. “I don’t want our past to tarnish our working relationship. It was a long time ago. We’re different people now.”

“You say that, but I don’t think you’re that different.”

She put her hands on her hips. “Oh really?”

He smirked at her. “You’re still pushy and demanding.” 

She was about to retort but whatever her expression was made Inuyasha laugh boisterously. “It’s not that funny.”

“Oh, it is, but you’re right.” He straightened up. “We are a  _ little  _ different. Why don’t I take you out to dinner tomorrow after work? We’ll get to know each other more and be able to work together better.” 

She twisted her hands together. “Dinner doesn’t sound like a good idea.” 

“Lunch then. You can’t be afraid I’ll sweep you off your feet during lunch.” 

“I was  _ not  _ worried about that!”

He laughed again, raising a hands in an appeasing gesture. “Fine, fine. You’re not worried. Lunch then?” He raised an expectant eyebrow, waiting for her answer. 

She pretended to think about it and nodded her acceptance, having difficulty holding back a grin of her own. “Lunch is fine.” 

Inuyasha gave her a wide grin and offered a hand to her to shake. “Lunch tomorrow it is then. Welcome to the team, Kagome.”

She shook his hand and they said they’re goodbyes. When she finally exited the office, she couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. All her preparedness that morning had flown out the window. She wasn’t calm, cool, and collected, like she had wanted to be. He had goaded her into furious reactions, something she promised herself she wouldn’t give in to. But it was also more comfortable than she had anticipated. They had fallen into their old ritual of teasing each other and it felt good. Too good. 

And his offer of having her redesign his entire company made her too giddy for her to admit. The perfect challenge for her. She examined the lobby, and knew that was going to be her first project. It was much too stiff. She liked the sunlight streaming through but everything was hard and cold. They needed a little warmth to welcome the public.  _ At least, if that’s what he’s going for.  _ She still had no idea what direction he wanted to go.

As she waited for Hachi to drive around to pick her up, she looked back at Kagura sitting at her desk. The woman wasn’t even looking at her, just typing away on her computer while talking on the phone with someone. Could she fill those shoes? It couldn’t be too hard. Kagome had done secretarial work before. Doing it for Inuyasha shouldn’t be a problem. 

Just as Hachi pulled up, she eyed Inuyasha and Miroku speaking at the top of the first level balcony. She narrowed her eyes at the human man. She pulled out her phone and pressed 2 for her speed dial. Holding the phone to her ear and climbing into the back of the limousine again, she waited for the other person to pick up. 

“Hello?” They said, with an expectant tone. 

“Sango? You’ll never believe what just happened.”

  
  



End file.
